Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's death 'proof of Putin's brutality,' says US President Joe Biden

Joe Biden on Alexei Navalny Death: US President Joe Biden on Friday (Feb 16th) said he was "not surprised" by the reported death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Addressing the press at the White House, the American President blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for Navalny's death, and said that it was proof of his (Putin's) "brutality".

A powerful voice for the truth (Joe Biden on Navalny's death)

Describing the Kremlin critic Navalny as a "powerful voice for the truth", Biden said "He bravely stood up to the corruption, the violence and all the bad things the (Vladimir) Putin government was doing." 

Saying that he was "outraged", but "not surprised" by the news, Biden said that they do not yet know exactly what happened to the Russian opposition leader. However, he said that it was the fault of Putin and his "thugs".

Also read | 'Brutal murder': World reacts to reports of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's death

"Russian authorities are going to tell their own story," he said, adding "But make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny's death. Putin is responsible." 

"What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin's brutality. No one should be fooled," said Biden in the televised remarks.

Will the US respond?

The US President said that he was "looking at options" on additional steps to punish Russia. However, he did not elaborate further.

Watch | Alexei Navalny, Putin critic and Russian opposition leader dies in jail

Hailing Alexei Navalny's achievements, Biden said "Even in prison he was a powerful voice for the truth." 

"God bless Alexei Navalny, his courage will not be forgotten," he added. 

Reason of Alexei Navalny's death

In a statement, Russia's federal penitentiary service said that the opposition leader Navalny "felt bad after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness." They added that while "Medical staff arrived immediately and an ambulance team was called," resuscitation measures "did not yield positive results."

"Paramedics confirmed the death of the convict. The causes of death are being established," it added.

As of now, Navalny's team is yet to confirm reports of his death. Taking to X, Navalny's deputy Ivan Zhdanov said relatives of Navalny should be notified of his demise within 24 hours, but no notifications have been made. His aide Leonid Volkov said that he was unable to confirm the death, adding that Navalny's lawyer was travelling to the site of the prison where he had been serving his sentence.

(With inputs from agencies)